Performing Arts 2025

[doesanybodyhaveamap]

Starting a thread re: performing arts applicants for 2025. If one already exists, happy to be redirected!!

Anyone pressed 'send' on their applications yet? Curious as to timelines for initial responses and to submit self tapes....

Buckling in for a long and nervous journey!

Conservatoires also have lower class sizes and the fees are within student loans. Royal Welsh for example have 18-20 on the BA MT and last year it was a bargain £9k so £250 less than an English degree lol. They also have multiple musicals and a London agent showcase( this is with the MA students too) so plenty of opportunities to have lead roles and get the spotlight. They even stream the dance classes with those low numbers and lots of 121 singing time so very personal.

I think conservatoires do get extra funding (although that has diminished) there was a report published a couple of years ago detailing this. Something to do with elite institution/courses funding.

Yes conservatoires get specialist funding from the government which is about the same as the extra fees. Depends a bit though as England Scotland and wales all have different funding systems

Hi, one of the mums on here said her dd worked at a holiday camp over the summer. How did she get the job? Was it on a website as my dd is quite interested in doing that.

Why have only just found this thread?!! My DD currently at a vocational dance school in Scotland had heart set on ballet but her pelvis thought otherwise and if turns out she's great at jazz and can also sing (news to us!) As a result we only applied to two MT colleges )which in hindsight was stupid and std gig rejected from the two ballet options) Bird and Laine and she was offered both. We are struggling to work out how we'll fund Laine as not sure she'll get DADA funding. Wouid be amazing to get any advice from
anyone on either of these please! Thanks

Exactly the same feeling I got with Laine. Zero mention of student support or anything actually other than how expensive it is 🙈

Hi my daughter has also been offered the diploma at Laine but we are still waiting to hear about the DADA funding as we can't afford it without funding. Have had no information at all since we sent back her offer acceptance

Welcome @Whereisthewineand congrats to your DD on two great offers! I don’t know much about Bird or Laine, but I’m sure someone will be along soon 😃

That was probably me!

DD was at a job fair, as she had heard Disney Cruise lines were there. It was in fact an agency who recruit all DCL entertainment and production staff. When chatting, they asked if she was working in the summer and said they were looking for an entertainment host for a holiday park. DD had been working weekends and holidays at a local theme park, so had a bit of experience. She had an interview on line with the agency, then the holiday park company and was successful.

She went off down South for just over two months, living on site. It was hard work, but she enjoyed it and saved a lot of money for when she started Uni.

The agency only do DCL now, but I’m sure if you Google some of the holiday parks, they will have details.

DD has been asked if she would like to go back this summer too.

My DS graduated from Bird last summer. He lived on campus at Avery Hill for the first year and then did a house share with other students very close to the college for years 2/3. He absolutely loved it there. It’s a lovely college in a very nice ( and what felt ‘safe’ area). 35 mins train into central London (Sidcup to Charing Cross). He had a couple of pt jobs there - one at a hotel in Waterloo and then got a local job in a Sidcup restaurant.
He loved the course and made some wonderful friends. As already pointed out here, it’s a lovely college with a nice vibe. It was a very intensive course and he had a few wobbles but was very much supported in a pastoral sense.
He is back home now and although he has an agent and a fair few auditions, he’s struggled to get work, it’s much more competitive (brutal in fact) than I had anticipated. That aside, he speaks of his experience at Bird as a very positive one.

If you don’t mind, please could you list the top conservatoires? And when you google, how do you know which ones are conservatoires?

Thank you. I did some googling last night and came up with Parkdean Resorts. It sounds like it could be interesting. They go to drama school performances and pick people out and you can apply direct. It sounds like it would be good experience

The conservatoires are:

Royal College of Music
Royal Academy of Music
Guildhall
Trinity Laban
Central School of Speech and Drama
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Leeds Conservatoire
LAMDA
Royal Northern Conservatoire

Not all of them do drama/MT at undergrad level/at all. Some of them just focus on music.

Also not all of them get the extra funding and there are other small specialist providers like RADA that aren’t a member of conservatoires UK but do get the funding. You can see the list on page 13 of the document here:

https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/7800/world-leading-specialist-provider-funding-outcome.pdf

As well as the institutions listed in that report (thanks for finding it, I knew I'd seen it somewhere) a further 15 institutions including Leeds Conservatoire, LIPA & BIMM were given extra funding by SFE for performing arts.

https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/press-and-media/funding-boost-puts-performing-arts-and-degree-apprenticeships-in-the-limelight/

Oooh it has totally passed me by that Bird is also in Sidcup! Anyone know if they do public dance classes…? This would be great for DC who will be at RB!

Congratulations to you daughter. The sharing of info seems to be slow. I think everyone received a general email mid March saying more info will be sent soon to help with making college choices, but not had anything further yet. Hoping more people will hear about funding soon as the email said you can contact them after the 21st April about your place on the list.

tbh we are still waiting to hear from two others colleges re,funding and haven’t had anything further since DC was offered a place!!

It’s a very long process as DC auditioned Nov/dec! Hoping contact will ramp up after Easter 🤞.

@Operagirl1

It wasn’t Park Dean, but very similar.

Yes, she gained a lot of experience; from hosting quizzes and Bingo to doing song time with kids and on stage with puppets in the children’s show. Some of the resorts had dancers/singers, although hers didn’t, she did have to do some simple dance routines.

Whilst she is going to college, she has realised how much she enjoys the Ents. hosting side of things. Unfortunately DCL won’t take hosts until they’re 21.

Good luck

Thanks @Taximum77 I don't think we'll get DADA funding and honestly can't think how else we'd afford it (we're also in Scotland, so no chance of commuting) How do people afford Laine do we think???

I don’t know how people afford ether. With dada funding it’s a massive help but the additional top up, accommodation fees and living costs we are having to save every penny! To hopefully fulfil our DCs dream 🤞

a new email has gone out tonight to everyone, got everything crossed that you get an email offer very soon, we didn’t expect to get a call the other week, so a lovely surprise when we did xx

Thank you @LoudSnoringDog I hope your DS finds work that he loves soon. I def get a better student support 'vibe' from Bird even though a bigger cohort etc and it's looking unlikely we'll be able to afford Laine so will probably be Bird bound!

One of my singing students went to Laine's recently. She was awarded the Betty Laine scholarship and as far as I know, she went there virtually free. She's now working on a cruiseship liner performing in CATS. Perhaps your dd would be eligible to apply for it.

I think the sort of people that go to Laine's are generally very rich (a lot are from the better private schools or from schools like the Silvia Young Theatre School. My dd met a lot from the SY school when she auditioned for Laine's. Perhaps some are willing to remortgage their homes. One of my neighbours' dd has just started at Laine's and they are extremely weathly. All 4 dc's educated in a top private school.

Yeah I think you're right and we are most def not rich. I don't think they offer the Betty Laine scholarship any more either, so it's looking increasingly unlikely my DD will be Laine bound 😔

It's so unfair that only the rich can go there. Have you looked into other scholarships that might be around. Independent arts scholarships based on merit or perhaps a local business might sponsor your dc. Definitely worth some enquiries

This is interesting as my daughters offer from Laine said to enquire after 14th regarding Dada funding, so I emailed Sarah Carroll but haven’t had a response yet. 🤔